It’s the middle of
the winter and I am trying to get my clients to think about summer. I know they
want to. They know they have to, but… it’s hard when you’re out plowing snow to get
into it. So here’s what I propose:
Call a staff meeting and make sure everyone comes to the meeting in shorts and t shirts. (Yes they can change in the bathroom before the staff meeting, and after as well). Serve hot dogs and burgers, Lemonade, Diet Pepsi or regular Pepsi and ice cream. Give out an award for the best t shirt and best shorts to get people in the mood of summer. Maybe a $50 bill?
Now start your
brainstorming session? What are you
going to do differently to get summer revenue?
I know, says one
staffer, “Let’s have a bowling league where everybody has to wear a bathing
suit and t shirt.” “No”, somebody says, “that’s
stupid.”
Well maybe it is, but
the objective of brainstorming is to let all the ideas come out. And that’s your
job. To set the ground rules that no one can make statements like:
·
Been there done that
·
Tried it, didn't work
·
That’s stupid
·
Won’t work here, might work somewhere else
·
Sounds like a lot of work
·
Nobody would go for that
Now every time someone
says something negative, take $1.00 from them.
And keep score as to who is the most negative. At the end of the session, you should have a
little pile of cash and also find out who the “NO” person is which you can
either help to become a “YES” person or offer him/her another employment
opportunity in a different environment.
By now, you
have hopefully quieted the naysayers and have put that idea up on a white pad (gotta
have a white pad or white board!) and someone says, “No not bathing suits, a
different mask every week.” And someone chimes in and says “How about a
different t shirt each week and we give rewards for the best T shirt?”
And you keep
building on it and building on it until you have a league idea that everyone on
your staff thinks is cool. Do you think
that just maybe they will try a LITTLE harder to sell it?
You can do this
with summer party ideas, fund raiser ideas and open play bowling ideas
Here are three
ideas to get you started;
·
Have a summer party OFFERING where everybody
comes dressed in white (don’t say their clothes will get dirty because of
the oil) and all the decorations are white and gold; banners are pictures of the
sun and sand, etc. Now everybody bowls
and food offerings are all summery from burgers to dogs to apple pie and maybe
ice cream. Offer a DJ or offer karaoke for the group. Sell to the corporations
as your “White Night Summer Bash.” Now
go brainstorm it
·
Offer a specific
themed fundraiser to a local nonprofit charity. You give them a ticket to
sell to the “Madhatters Bowlathon for ____”
say, you sell it at $10 and they sell it for whatever they want. The sizzle is that everyone who bowls at
the charity event has to wear a hat of some sort. And your center will
award $100 to the best “ Madhatters” who bowls. Of course that person will donate
it to the charity. Now go brainstorm it.
·
“I’m Sick
of BBBQ’s, Lets Go Bowling Tonight” for $20.13 for 2 hours” for up to 5
people. Now go brainstorm it.
Oh yeah, better finish the snow plowing first.
